COURSE:                         RANGE ANIMAL PRODUCTION (AS308)

 DURATION:                       FIRST SEMESTER (MARCH TO JULY)

 STUDENTS:                       BSC (AGRICULTURE) -- PART III

 COURSE COORDINATOR:             DR P.H. MUGABE

 OBJECTIVES:

-  To develop an understanding of the principles of range management.
-  To develop proficiency in range inventory and assessment methods.
-  To practically involve students in the development of grazing
   management plans.
-  To familiarize the students with some options for managing and
   improving Zimbabwe's rangelands.
-  To develop an awareness of the principles and options for wildlife
   management and utilization.

COURSE ORGANIZATION:

 Lectures:                    50 x 1 hour

 Practicals/Field Visits:

 Continuous assessments:         1 mid-semester test
                                 Field visit reports
                                 Lab reports
                                 End of section quizzes, essays

 Final Examination:              1 x 3 hr written examination

 Final Grade:                    30 - from continuous assessment
                                 70 - from Final Written Examination

 Recommended Books:

 1.   Veld and Pasture Management in South Africa. (1981).  Ed. N.M.
      Tainton (on Reserve in the Main Library).
 2.   Range management - Principles and Practices.  (1989).  J.L.
      Holechek, R.D. Pieper and C.H. Herbel.

 3.   Range and wildlife in the tropics (1982), by H.F. Heady and
      E.B. Heady.

 4.   Range management (3rd edition) 1975, L.A. Stoddart, A.D. Smith
      and T.W. Box.

 5.   Grazing management - an ecological perspective Heitschmidt,
      R.K. and StutH J.W. (eds).

 6.   Rangeland ecology and management. (1994) H.F. Heady and R.D.
      Child.

 COURSE OUTLINE

 Topic                                                   No. of Lectures

 SECTION A

 Introduction, definition of rangelands,      1
 products and uses.  Distribution of
 rangeland types in Zimbabwe.

 Rangeland ecology                                            4
 -      ecosystem concept and components
 -      energy flow
 -      nutrient cycling
 -      ecosystem organization and hierarchies
 -      rangeland synecology

 Characteristics  of  range   forage  resources               3

        -     productivity
        -     diversity (species distribution,
                nutrition/anti-nutrition)

 Herbivory                                                    4

         -    feeding strategies
         -    foraging behaviour
         -    effects on the rangeland ecosystem

Biological efficiencies                             2

      -      (harvest, ingestive, digestive,
             assimilation)

 SECTION B

 Range evaluation                                    2

      -      condition assessment
      -      trend analysis

 Principles of grazing management                   4

      -      control of animal numbers
      -      animal distribution
      -      rest
      -      period of use
      -      top hamper control
      -      grazing systems

 Grazing systems
                                                    1
 Grazing management planning                        4

 SECTION C

 Range improvement                                  3

      -      vegetation manipulation
      -      use of fire
      -      chemical and mechanical

 Fodder Production                                  2
 Range livestock management                         3

      -      objectives
      -      management for growth and reproduction
      -      use of supplements

 Livestock Production in Communal Areas             3
      -      characteristics
      -      problems
      -      options for improvement

 Range economics                              3

 SECTION D

 Wildlife managemeat

 Multispecies systems                         1
      -      characteristics
      -      complementality

 Wildlife Policies                            1

 Wildlife utilization                         6
      -      protected areas
      -      safari hunting
      -      (Campfire)
      -      game ranching
      -      game farming

 Economics of wildlife vs livestock systems